These Photos Show the Reality of Raising Children in a Moldovan Prison
Every two months, Jadwiga Bronte packs her bag and heads to prison in the Eastern European republic of Moldova. With her camera in tow, she walks down to the mother's ward and pays a visit to the many women that have been faced with the jarring reality of raising a child behind bars. During her stay, Bronte photographs aspects of motherhood that seem to make the prison walls crumble and disappear. "There are times that I don’t take photos at all, I just talk to them and play with the kids. For some mothers, sadly, I am the only person who ever visits."
Bronte is a social photojournalist exploring relationships between human identity and politics through visual representation. Her work has taken her across the globe documenting people on the margins of society, humanizing the outcasts shunned by the world. She recently self published her first book, Invisible People of Belarus, documenting the lives of disabled people and Chernobyl victims housed in governmental institutions.
Her latest project, "The Good Memories," seeks to portray incarcerated women in Moldova as mothers first. Her lens focuses on them not as criminals, but as women banding together to love and nurse kids in an unconventional environment. Her ultimate goal is to help these women curate good memories of motherhood in prison. With these photos, the women make baby albums and sketchbooks, which not only seek to strengthen the bond between mother and child, but also hope to quell the pain and fear of prison life.
There are special units within the prisons specifically designed for mothers and their children. At the three year mark, the children must leave the unit—some with their mothers, others to live with relatives. "If the child’s father is present in their lives and he is physically and mentally fit to look after the child then he will retain custody," Bronte said. "Unfortunately this scenario is very unusual and most of the time, the grandparent takes them home, or they are transferred to an orphanage."
"My theory is that it is possible through therapeutic photography to help develop the prisoner's self identity as a responsible and caring mother, and not a criminal, to lower the risk of re-offending." - Jadwiga Bronte
Bronte's "Good Memories" enhances both the beauty and challenges of motherhood in the most unexpected circumstances. With her project, inmates have a chance to gain a sense of normalcy within the chaos. The photos give them a voice and help them create dreams for themselves and their children.
Ana
"I am a woman, I am a mother of 4, and I never give up. My smallest daughter, Sofia, is with me, but the other 2 boys and a girl, I seldom get to see them. I was raised by both parents and I have 2 brothers but unfortunately both parents died and I don't talk to my brothers. From my relatives there is only one aunt who helps me and supports me. My best memory is of being together with my parents. I will keep it in my soul until the end. I can’t compare it to anything else."
Liudmila
"We are a family of four people, my parents, me and my sister. I lived with my parents until I was 19 when my mother divorced my father. Growing up, my father would scold and beat me. I managed to finish high-school but never went to college because I didn't have the possibility so instead I worked with my mother at a tailoring factory. At 20, I fell in love with my son's father. We still are and will be together. I only have one child and he is here with me. I love to spend time with him, play with him, and we take walks together. When I leave this place, I want to raise my child, to create a family, to find a job, to provide for them. I don't want to come back ever again."
Ratha
"I have 2 boys like 2 diamonds, and I am so proud of the fact that God gave me such precious treasure. They are everything to me. One of them is here with me, in prison, but the older one, is with an aunt of mine at home. I don’t have the opportunity to see the oldest one often because we live far from prison. I haven’t seen him for a year and a half. I am a proud mother, proud that I was able to bring 2 angels into this world. I don’t keep a connection with the father of my children because he is abroad and never remembers the babies. I have a dream to get out of here, go home, find a job, and be able to raise my kids and I also want a house with a big garden that I could take care of. I have a golden husband who is doing all he can to help us get out of here."
Alina
"I was an only child and my parents gave me everything they could, even though we were not rich. They gave me a good education but I only completed 9 classes before I went to work at a shoe factory where I met my first love. It was beautiful, romantic walks under a sky full of stars, butterflies in my stomach. But time passed and my life changed and I got on a road that condemned me to many years of prison. I was always just a human being and I still am. I am a loyal person no matter the situations I get into. I met a man who became my husband, I got pregnant and gave life to a little boy who completes me and makes me happy. At the moment, my son's father has another family, another life. But I am proud of my little boy who is one and a half. There is someone else who loves me very much and my child is everything to him. He loves him as his own. My wish is to get out of these walls with my child as soon as possible and start my life over from scratch."
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